Now that it's harder than ever to make a living in the rural West, we locals have to tap into our inner entrepreneur to survive. Hard work is still important, but creativity and judicious copying help a lot, too. Just use your imagination....

For example, Samantha Fox of Twisp, Wash., grew up in a deer-hunting family before leaving her hometown in the North Cascades to pursue a degree in fashion. After graduating from college, Fox returned to Twisp, pop. 980, and started a business called Wild Things.

"There weren't any jobs, so I decided to make my own," said Fox. "Wild Things uses local deer hides, animal fur and feathers to make lingerie for the modern primitive -- it's sort of 'Victoria's Secret meets Clan of the Cave Bear.' "

During hunting season each year, Fox collects hides from hunters, tans them and turns them into sexy sleepwear that she sells on the Internet. Her women's lingerie collection -- made entirely of local deer hides -- has grown to include such items as her "Doe in Heat" panties, her "High Mountain Peaks" series of push-up bras and her "Get Along Little Thongs."

Sunday, December 19, 2010

As good as this bar is," said the Scotsman, "I still prefer the pubs back home. In Glasgow, there's a wee place called McTavish's. The landlord goes out of his way for the locals. When you buy four drinks, he'll buy the fifth drink."

"Well, Angus," said the Englishman, "At my local in London, the Red Lion, the barman will buy you your third drink after you buy the first two."

"Ahhh, dat's nuthin'," said the Irishman, "back home in me favorite pub, the moment ye set foot in th’ place, they'll buy ye a drink, then another, all the drinks ye like, actually. Then, when ye've had enough drinks, they'll take ye upstairs and see dat ye gets laid, all on th’ house!"

The Englishman and Scotsman were suspicious of the claims. The Irishman swore every word was true. "Did this actually happen to you?" –they asked.

"Well Not meself, personally, no," admitted the Irishman, "but it did happen to me sister quite a few times ..."

Friday, December 10, 2010

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Ole, a furniture dealer from up at Mankato, MN, decided to expandthe line of furniture in his store, so he decided to go to Paris tosee what he could find.

After arriving in Paris, he visited with some manufacturers andselected a line that he thought would sell well back home. Tocelebrate the new acquisition, he decided to visit a small bistroand have a glass of wine.

As he sat enjoying his wine, he noticed that the small place wasquite crowded, and that the other chair at his table was the onlyvacant seat in the house.

Before long, a very beautiful young Parisian girl came to his table;asked him something in French (which Ole couldn't understand); so hemotioned to the vacant chair and invited her to sit down. He triedto speak to her in English, but she did not speak his language.

After a couple of minutes of trying to communicate with her, he tooka napkin and drew a picture of a wine glass and showed it to her.She nodded, so he ordered a glass of wine for her.

After sitting together at the table for a while, he took anothernapkin, and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and shenodded. They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured asmall group playing romantic music. They ordered dinner.....afterwhich he took another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing.She nodded, and they got up to dance. They danced until the cafeclosed and the band was packing up.

Back at their table, the young lady took a napkin and drew a pictureof a four-poster bed. To this day, Ole has no idea how she figuredout he was in the furniture business.